RSS Joins BJP's Peace Meets Fearing Dent In Ruling Govt's Image

Thirty such meets have already taken place.

Amid caste-related violence in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur, the right-wing group RSS has joined the BJP in holding peace meets in the villages with Thakurs and Dalits. These were the two groups that clashed leaving several injured and a few dead.

The Indian Express reported that RSS joined the move because of apprehensions that differences between the two communities could adversely affect the ruling BJP's image in the state. The report says that more than 30 such meetings have taken place in Behat, Nakur, Saharanpur Nagar, Saharanpur Dehat, Deoband, Gangoh and Rampur Maniharan.

Two police officers have been transferred and 30 people have been arrested in connection with the violence.

The Indian Express quoted Saharanpur BJP MLA Kunwar Brijesh Singh as saying, "Everyone, including the RSS, wants peace. Both Thakurs and Dalits had voted for me. We are not doing votebank politics in favour of any caste as done by other parties. They were the ones who lost elections and are disturbing the atmosphere here."

Addressing a press conference, Uttar Pradesh Principal Home Secretary Mani Parsad Mishra had said, "It was also witnessed that since (the) 20 April violence, the intensity of such incidents has been on a rise and somewhere it has been felt that there was something lacking in the police administration," he said, adding that following which, a new team was sent to the district within 24 hours.